California homeowners rebuilding after Eaton Fire face up to $40,000 for underground utility hookups

In Altadena, rebuilding a fire-damaged home may come with another major expense as the idea of undergrounding utilities is picking up traction. 

For homeowners, hooking it up to underground utility service can carry an added bill that runs into the thousands of dollars, and in certain cases, into the tens of thousands.

Those potential charges are likely to be part of the discussion when Los Angeles County Public Works is set to update the Altadena Town Council on undergrounding work connected to recovery from the 2025 Eaton Fire.

Here's what to know

At a town council meeting at the Altadena Community Center, Ciara Barnett, an assistant deputy director at the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works, is expected to deliver the undergrounding presentation, according to Pasadena Now. A public comment segment devoted specifically to that update is also on the agenda.

In Altadena and nearby communities affected by the 2025 Eaton Fire, Southern California Edison is targeting roughly 63 circuit miles of distribution lines for burial. About 40 miles of that work is within the High Fire Risk Area.

The utility has priced the broader Altadena-Malibu rebuild at between $860 million and $925 million. However, much of the concern from residents has centered on what individual households may have to pay.

For homeowners whose properties need longer trenches, reported connection costs have reached $20,000 to $40,000, according to the Los Angeles Times. Edison's rebuilding plan put the more typical charge to connect private property to the underground system at about $8,000 to $10,000.

More background

Town council meetings have been marked for months by anger over those estimates. For residents already trying to recover and rebuild after the fire, a separate charge for utility hookups can create serious financial pressure.

Homeowners with more complicated property layouts could end up paying much more than their neighbors.

County intervention was formally requested on April 21, when the Altadena Town Council voted 13-0, with two members not voting. Its request included halting undergrounding until questions about funding, oversight, and coordination were addressed.

The council also asked the county to adopt an ordinance requiring AT&T Fiber and Spectrum to coordinate their own undergrounding work. It further requested an independent ombudsman to resolve disputes as they arise.

What's being done?

Residents will have a chance to hear directly from county officials about the project and weigh in publicly during the meeting.

On April 21, the town council said undergrounding should not proceed without added protections. Among them was a pause until the questions around oversight and funding were settled.

The council has separately said an independent ombudsman is needed to deal with conflicts involving trenching, coordination, scheduling, or fees tied to private-property connections.

For families rebuilding in the burn area, they are still waiting to learn whether a more resilient utility system will also bring extra costs that deepen the burden of recovery. That remains unsettled in Altadena as the county comes back to outline what happens next.

Get TCD's free newsletters for easy tips, smart advice, and a chance to earn $5,000 toward home upgrades. To see more stories like this one, change your Google preferences here.